Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Justin Bieber will "perform" at the Rave in Milwaukee on November 12th. He doesn't have a disk out yet. It won't be released until after the Rave show. Rave tickets for this show are moving fast. Between this post and the date of the show, Little Justin Bieber will have grown about 1/2 inch. He started with Youtube, and now he's on a rocket ride to stardom, I suppose.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

My coworker is young. I think that 22 is young. When she told me that she had Riverside Theater tickets for her first show, it confirmed her youth. She had been to lots of venues in Milwaukee but no the Pabst.

It was amusing to hear her say that she was concerned that the Riverside Theater Milwaukee would not have good seats. She told me that she was sitting in the first balcony. I knew that she would like it up there.

The Riverside Theater has been around for over 100 years. A place like that is very often one of the better venues for shows. Yea, who wants to be in the third balcony of some old, stinky theater. The Riverside is not one of those crusty places.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

I figured that it was about time that I put my two cents in about which Milwaukee venues are the best place to see live music. I will try to be honest, and unbiased. It really doesn't matter that much since I am only one person in a city of 500,000 people.

Guidespot.com lists Sauce as the best venue, but when I read the sentence "Fashion-conscious sophisticates flock to this upscale restaurant/bar in the trendy Third Ward," Sauce loses all rankings in my book. I'm not one to dress like a slob at a show, but c'mon, the words Fashion, upscale, and trendy are all jammed into the description. I'll pass on that one.

They list the Bremen Cafe as number two. That's a realistic ranking.

Some put Shank Hall at the top of the list. I guess you could say it's in the top 20, if that's a good thing to be one of twenty clubs to see a live band. I have to say that the sound has been great there, but the venue has not changed inside very much.

Others prefer to put the BBC at the top of the heap. Yea, the staff at the BBC has been nothing but professional when I go see a band. A nice waitstaff makes you feel so welcome. If I had any criticisms of the BBC it would be that the sound is hard to dial in. The place is big, there is a post in the middle of the stage, and the windows reflect so much sound, that you wonder if putting up some baffles for live shows wouldn't be a bad idea. The only other hurdle is loading all the gear up and down those stairs. If it is a rainy night, you risk a hard fall. Yea, the BBC gets high marks.

Some prefer to head to Bay View's Cactus Club. Sorry, I stopped giving that venue my money a long time ago. Who wants to go to a club to be treated like dirt by the owner and his staff? The regulars sit on their butts and stare into their beers. What fun!

I have to say that Mad Planet gets high marks. The staff is nice, there is plenty of room, the stage may be small, but you don't feel like you are crammed into the hall. I like the risers along the east wall. You get a chance to stand above the crowd.

Points East is another one of those friendly clubs. Hang out front and have a beer before the show starts. The stage is angular, but tall. The parking has never been a problem at Points East.

Looking back at my choices, it's safe to say that I lean towards the rock venues. Milwaukee has so much more to offer than what I posted here. I barely scratched the surface. I left out all the large venues on purpose, but if I had to list just one, it would be the Milwaukee Theater. When I have Milwaukee Theater tickets to a show, I know that the sound will be great, the entertainment top notch, and it's easy to sneak out to get a drink. The Riverside is a close second, but Milwaukee Theater goers will agree with me.

Friday, October 2, 2009

Brian Johnson has had some serious stomach problems as of late. They finally got the best of him, and as a result, the Milwaukee show at the Bradley Center has been postphoned. For their age, these guys tour pretty hard. When I look at their tour schedule, I do see days off inbetween four and five show runs, but still, that's enough work to take a toll on the body.

Tickets for that AC/DC show will most likely be honored for the new date. Doctors working Brian Johnson over said that he needs rest. It's not about his throat, it's about his stomach.

As for a local plug, I'm heading down to the Miramar Theater this Saturday night. My wife loves ska music, and she has a patient who plays in the band The Invaders. They play with Mustard Plug, Deals Gone Bad, and Car Full of Midgets. Show starts at 8pm.

I practiced a gig in Bill's studio last month, and on the way out of his space, he played some raw tracks to a rockabilly band he is recording. He used two microphones for the drums and it sounded killer! I have been trying to recreate that sound in my own studio, as best I can. Granted, I only have a pair of Oktava large condenser microphones, but we will see what kind fo sound I can get.